Puffapods
by RainbowNargles
Summary: Neville's got it bad for Luna Lovegood. She's oblivious to the fact. Neville/Luna
1. Opinions

**I'm so very extremely and totally new to this site, so I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing here. I'm trying my best though, and I'm definitley open to new ideas, advice and criticism, because I'm know I'm not the best of writers. Thank you!**

**Set about half way through the Order of the Phoenix.**

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><p>The sun shone bright on Friday afternoon and finally all classes had finished for the week. Most students were in the library, studying for their last few OWLs, but Neville didn't want to waste the weather as it was a sign for the maturing of the Flutterby Bushes down by the Black Lake. He made his way down to the grounds with his bag and Herbology textbook and lay down, forgetting about the Flutterby Bushes and his impending OWLS for a few quiet minutes of serenity.<p>

THUD.

His Herbology book flew out of the air and slammed into his stomach.

"What are you doing down here on, Longbottom?" smirked Draco Malfoy. "Shouldn't you be with Potter and the rest of the crack-pots somewhere, plotting against the school?"

He pulled the Herbology book from Neville's hands, and threw it straight into the middle of the lake where it sunk, as Neville watched in silent despair.

"Teach you to be lurking around the grounds again! Say something, you absolute nitwit."

Neville couldn't find the words to say anything at all, half shocked and half winded from the impact of the blow to his stomach. Malfoy and his posse turned and left, sniggering, probably going to find some unfortunate first year to terrorise.

Why was it always him? It just wasn't fair, what had he done to deserve this? All of it. Was he just unlucky, or was there something dreadfully wrong with him?

You see, Neville Longbottom was often the butt of everyone's jokes. Always picked on, always underestimated, always put down. It was always Neville, and if it wasn't Neville, then it was Luna Lovegood, though she never seemed bothered in the slightest, a trait which Neville desired greatly.

"Hello Neville Longbottom."

That was weird.

But then again, Luna and weird went hand in hand, so perhaps it was merely ordinary.

"Hi Luna." Neville replied, sighing.

"Y'know, whenever I have a bad day, I come down here and look into the water."

Neville stared at her. How did she know? Was it really that obvious how terrible he was feeling?

"It's peaceful here, and if it's peaceful on the outside, it's peaceful on the inside.' She said, tapping his head gently.

"Luna, d'you ever feel, like, no matter how hard you try, people just aren't gonna be okay with you?"

She stared dreamily into the lake and there was a short silence.

"Why d'you want them to be okay with you?" she asked, curiosity etched in her face.

"Well, they make me feel, like, like, I don't matter,"

"Opinions aren't facts, Neville." She simply said.

"I know Luna." Maybe it's different for her, he thought.

"I feel the same sometimes," She crossed her legs and smiled at him.

"But then I come here, and then I realise, I'm only one person in this world. And only a few people really know me. The opinions of those who really know me, are the only ones that matter, don't you think?"

Neville had never thought this way before. Perhaps it was utterly mad, but maybe it made sense. She was incredibly different, Luna; an entity unlike any other. The way in which she was herself, and the way she behaved, and she was loyal to herself and her beliefs. She was very different to most. But it didn't seem to be a bad thing. Not in the slightest.

"Oh, Neville, I have something for you!" Her silvery eyes lit up in the most magnificent way as she rummaged in through her bag, and eventually pulled out a small plant.

"It's a-"

"Puffapod, yeah!" he grinned to himself.

"I thought it was pretty, and it fights off dimplybumps when they flower."

"Thank you Luna."

"Have a lovely evening Neville." She stood, picked up her bag, and skipped back up the grounds, her dirty blonde, waist length, straggly hair swinging madly behind her. It was funny, he thought, how her presence alone seemed to brighten up his worst days. Her words were the only words that made sense to him when he felt like this. Her attitude to everything and everybody around her was as admirable as it was delusional. Perhaps if he became more like her, less caring, oblivious to the opinions of others, perhaps then he would finally feel accepted.

Strange girl, that Luna but she was often the only light in his darkest days.

Maybe she wasn't strange. Just different.

Neville was different too.


	2. The Happiest Twenty Minutes Of His Life

**I wanted to carry the whole Neville/Luna ship on, and the reviews really inspired me, so I thought I'd add another chapter. Big thank you to HermioneGrangerisME for convincing me to do a multichap! :3**

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><p>Oh for Merlin's sake. It was one school, where could they be? He hadn't picked them more than twenty minutes ago, sat for a while on the stands in the Quidditch grounds reading Magical Plants and Where To Find Them and walked off without them. Upon returning to see that that they were gone, Neville had admitted defeat, irritated that the one time he'd finally plucked up the courage to do something remotely cute it'd gone pear shaped. As usual.<p>

He ought to know by now that it never did go according to plan for himself. Ah well, it was just his luck. Forget it, he was hungry and didn't see the point of trying to find them anymore; they could be anywhere in a school like this.

It was about lunchtime so the Great Hall was swimming with students, all far too immersed in their own conversations to notice him. Neville took an empty space on the Gryffindor table, and solemnly picked up a bacon sandwich, brows furrowed. It wasn't like him to get so frustrated over losing things, but Neville was sick and tired of his luck. He hated that everything he did went wrong. He hated he couldn't do anything right and it was a well-known fact. He hated the fact that he got so annoyed at himself for something beyond his control.

His frowning eyes caught sight of her dirty blonde head across the hall. She was as calm as ever, picking at a plate of grapes in a manner which Neville found ever so slightly adorable. A pair of Spectrespecs were perched on her perfect pale nose and Neville could just about make out a pair of what looked like radishes swinging from her earlobes as she read the latest issue of The Quibbler gazing down at the page with utmost concentration. He could have watched her for years.

She looked up. Neville looked down but it was too late.

She smiled at him, a lovely genuine smile that somehow made him forget about his insecurities.

Finding a burst of the courage he so desperately craved, he stood and approached the Ravenclaw table and sat in the empty space next to her.

"You looked very deep in thought over there, Neville." She commented, taking off her fascinating eyewear.

"Yeah...You could say that Luna…" he replied, blushing furiously, but she didn't appear to notice.

"Have you had a good day today, Neville?" she asked, flicking through the remaining pages of the quibbler, before setting it aside and looking at him with her enchanting grey irises.

It took him a tiny bit longer than usual to respond, but he managed to splutter out a response.

"Yeah'sbeenalrigh'thanks."

"Are you sure? You looked a little bothered when I glanced over there earlier."

She looked at him again, sending his pulse into a frenzy. Bloody hell, he'd got it bad for Luna Lovegood. _She's glanced over here earlier. She'd looked at him earlier. She'd looked at him, before he looked at her._

"It's going to sound so stupid, but I've lost something." He began, cringing at what he was about to say.

"What have you lost Neville?" she asked.

"Honking daffodils." He couldn't help but grin at how embarrassing this whole situation was turning out to be.

"Ooh my favourite! Well why don't we go look for them then?" she suggested enthusiastically, an excited smile spreading across her own face, showing a perfect set of white teeth. _How could he possibly say no to that smile?_

"Come on then." He said and she proceeded to drag him skipping down the great hall. They skipped for what felt like ages up stairs, around corridors and through classrooms, eventually stopping on the staircase on the second floor, laughing.

It's quite refreshing, skipping. He began to see why she did it so often. It wasn't that strange because for ten minutes in his life, Neville had finally forgotten his inhibitions and worries and insecurities and felt young and carefree for the first time since he was eight years old. It was rather nice.

"I think this is a better place for us to talk. The Great Hall is full of Wrackspurts! They're so distracting! Now, where did you last see the honking daffodils Neville?"

"Umm, well I picked them just around the back of Hagrid's Hut. And then I took them to the Quidditch stands and I walked off and left them there, but when I went back for them, they'd gone."

"Someone might have brought them back." She took off down the stairs and Neville ran after her.

They were half way down the grounds, when Luna stopped and turned to him

"Why don't you just pick some more Neville?"

"Oh. I'd not thought of that. Umm. Okay, I'll just pick some more. Aha" _Lies. Neville had thought of that idea long ago, but longed to experience her marvellous way of living, even if it was just for fifteen minutes._

They found a small patch of the yellow flowers behind Hagrid's hut, all honking noisily.

Luna bent down and picked handfuls of the plants. She held them out to him and as he took them he noticed they contrasted brightly with the ivory tones of her skin, encompassing her hand in a buttercup glow.

He looked at her as she turned to pick some more daffodils. Her hair as always, was tumbling down her back like the most radiant of waterfalls and as she stood she stared vacantly at the mass of yellow around her.

"Beautiful." Neville accidentally said aloud.

She turned and smiled.

"They really are, aren't they?"

"They're wonderful."

"I didn't know you liked flowers so much. I knew you liked plants, but I didn't think daffodils were your thing Neville."

"Well actually… They were for someone…"

She smiled.

"That's rather lovely, I'm sure whoever it is will appreciate them Neville. Now if you don't mind, I'm off to get some pudding, I'll see you later!"

She began to skip up to the building.

"Wait! Luna! " he ran up to her.

"Hm?"

"Why don't- Why don't you just take these?" he said, awkwardly thrusting the pile of madly honking daffodils into her arms "I can- I can pick some more later. Or whenever- y'know, it doesn't really matter anyway."

"Well thank you very much Neville. But you keep one to remember today! It's been a lot of fun!"

"Yeah, it has. Thanks Luna" he took the daffodil she'd offered him.

"Thank you too Neville." And with that, she skipped off to the Great Hall.

He sniffed the daffodil which honked loudly in his face, much to the amusement of some third years.

He didn't care all too much though.

_He'd just spent twenty whole minutes with Luna Lovegood and they were quite possibly the happiest twenty minutes of his life. _


End file.
